Let's Run Away
by Sister'sLament
Summary: Butters Stotch and Kenny McCormick both suffer problems at home. The two houses couldn't be more different from one another, but they are the same in the respect that both boys deal with forms of neglect and are searching for a way out, perhaps together they might find a solution. This is a Bunny (Kenny x Butters) story, co-written with me and my sister. Other pairings may occur.
1. Troubled Homes

"Hey guys." Butters said as he sat down at the usual lunch table. "Hey Butters." Stan replied before turning his attention back to Kyle who was in the middle of lecturing Cartmen. Butters didn't mind that only one person greeted him because he was used to it. While he was talkative by nature, most of his friends were quiet until someone started to rant.

Butters ate his lunch peacefully as he watched the argument unfold. "Seriously Cartmen, just shut up." Stan said, backing up Kyle as his red haired friend puffed up in anger. "Leave my mom out of this fat ass!" Kyle yelled angrily. Butters tried his best to keep to himself lest Cartmen try to drag him into the fight to back him up.

Cartmen's shoulders raised defensively, his eyes staring at Kyle hostilely. "Oh, smart maneuver there Kyle. What, you need your little bitch to come and rescue you?" He goaded, pleased to see that he had managed to piss off both Kyle and Stan now.

Kenny rolled a shiny red apple on the cafeteria table with his fingertips, slowly but surely getting a head ache. Kenny hardly got involved with listening to these guys at the table. Every day they argued over something, and he'd learned since elementary school that it wasn't worth the drama. It was the same shirt with a different story every day, and the usual starters of this mess were Cartmen and Kyle.

Now, if Kenny _had_ to pick a side, he would have normally picked Kyles. The mad had more sense and a definite better argument; but Kenny was never interested in dropping to their level and being dragged into things.

As Cartmen ranted on, Kenny rolled his exhausted eyes and glanced at the only other one at the table that was staying out of it, Butters. Unfortunately, it seemed like Butters was actually listening intently to the argument, even though he wasn't taking a direct part it in.

"Don't tell me you actually give a shit about this." Kenny said, which was the wrong thing to do. When he spoke, it drew Cartmen's attention to him; which was the last thing that Kenny wanted. He hated it when the greedy, fat, son of a bitch dragged him into things.

"Hey~ Shut up Kenn- ….hey, Hey!" Cartmen's eyes alighted onto the apple that Kenny had been rolling. His voice took on an edge of outrage. "That's mah apple! Go buy your own!" He snapped. Kenny drew the apple closer to himself and out of reach from Cartmen's grubby hands.. It was clear that he had absolutely no intention of returning the pilfered food.

"I can't." Kenny retorted. Cartmen's fat face split into a grin, his eyes glinting mischeviously. Oh god, **now** what was he thinking? "Oh yeah, that's right. Your family is too _poor_ to afford a twenty cent apple!" He snickered out. Kenny's blue eyes hardened as Cartmen, once again, jabbed at his poverty. Back when he was younger, he may have let a petty comment like that get to him… but now he'd learned better.

Getting up out of his cafeteria seat, Kenny ignored Cartmen's outraged demands to sit back down and return the apple. Instead, Kenny took a smug bite of it in front of him, and with a mouth full of sweet fruit he addressed him.

"Hey, you should really be thanking me." Kenny said, walking past Cartmen so he had to crane his neck to follow him. Swallowing his mouthful of apple, Kenny added in a satisfactory manner. "You really don't need it."

Cartmen's eyes blazed. "Oi!" He yelled, turning fast around. "Is that a fat joke?!" He growled, searching for the blond angrily only to find he'd vanished from sight. Turning back around angrily to the table, he continued to complain. "Kenny just fucking called me fat!"

"You are fat Cartmen." Stan replied, however it wasn't hostile but more like a stated fact. Butters watched Kyle shake his head before he turned his own to look at the cafeteria doors. He hadn't missed Kenny's departure through those doors even though everyone else had. Kenny had Butters' attention most of the time, but today when he had spoken directly to him he had gained Butters' undivided attention.

Out of Cartmen, Kyle, Stan and Kenny, the blond had always been the nicest to him. Butters blamed his small form of infatuation with Kenny on that fact. Kenny had once again proven that he was nice and had tried to talk to him before he had left the lunchroom with Eric's apple. Even though Kenny had only said a few things to him, Butter's still felt the urge to follow him. He knew he would only end up irritating Kenny though. That realization was enough to keep Butters in his seat.

Butters continued to space out until the conversation at the table changed to the midterms that everyone was dreading. Well, it was more of Kyle and Stan talking and Carmen complaining about how he had to maintain his grades so he could continue playing football. Butters listened to everyone until he noticed the pencil sitting on the table where Kenny had been seated.

It was like a light bulb went off in Butters' head. This was his excuse to talk to Kenny. That pencil was the only piece of learning equipment Kenny carried around. He didn't use it for work though. Instead, Kenny used the pencil to doodle in class or he tapped it on the desk to irritate everyone. Honestly, Kenny probably wouldn't care about his missing pencil, but Butters didn't care. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

He scooped up the pencil before he stood up. "See you guys later." Butters said as he grabbed his try. "See ya Butters." Stan said looking up. Kyle echoed Stan's farewell almost making Butters feel touched. It did make him smile though before he left to find Kenny.

Kenny strolled out of the cafeteria with his apple in tow, running his thumb over its sleek red skin. He heard the sound of the loud cafeteria slowly fade as he turned towards the benches in the lobby hall. Although he had seemed to be perfectly calm and collected, he still felt angered underneath. He'd told himself that comments about his wealth didn't bother him- but it was denial talking. The truth was really that it pissed him off… and if Cartmen wasn't one of his friends then he would have pounded the fat fuck straight into the ground.

Kenny's eyes were dark with the tiredness he felt inside; his anger leaving him exhausted. Shifting, Kenny allowed himself to fall heavily onto the wooden bench; trying to exhale away all of his stress in a sigh. Leaning his stiff back against the cooled wood, Kenny closed his eyes. So tired… he'd hardly gotten any sleep last night due to his parents screaming all night. His father had come home drunk again and his mother spent the night screaming her disdain to the heavens. He'd let his little sister in with him in his room, since she was only in middle school. Naturally, he had stayed up late with her, so it had been a long night.

The waves of drowsiness were slowly over taking him, and before he knew it, he slipped into the sea of sleep and drifted to dreaming. The apple rolled from his fingertips onto the floor, only half eaten as his head lolled onto one side.

Butters walked through the almost deserted halls of the high school as he looked for Kenny. He had to find him before lunch was over or he wouldn't get to see him until after school let out, and that would defeat the purpose of returning the pencil.

He had been just about to give up on his search after failing for ten minutes until he caught sight of a familiar orange parka. Butters smiled happily as he bee lined for Kenny, but once he got close enough he stopped. Was Kenny sleeping? It certainly appeared that way.

Even though Butters had seen Kenny sleep before, he just stood there staring. It was an odd sight with the blond fully asleep next to a half-eaten red apple, but there was something peaceful about it. Kenny always looked tired, and Butters enjoyed seeing him look so at piece. As Butters stood there and gawked, a faint blush formed on his face. Kenny certainly looked nice while he was sleeping, so much so that Butters was having a hard time looking away.

Butters knew that it was rude to stare, and that he'd be in trouble if anyone caught him doing it, but it was so hard not to. He was even considering letting Kenny sleep instead of waking him up. However, he couldn't just let Kenny get into trouble for sleeping in the hallway, especially knowing that the school bell wouldn't even wake him up. What was he supposed to do?

"K-Kenny?" Butters said after debating a couple of minutes. He was nervous that Kenny might get mad at him for waking him up. "H-Hey, um… lunch'll be over in a minute…" Butters said, and when he didn't get a response he frowned. What did Kyle and Stan do again to wake up Kenny? They usually just kicked him, but Butters couldn't do that. After preparing for the worst, Butters gently shook Kenny's shoulder "Kenny…" He said, but even though he didn't stutter he still sounded nervous.

As Kenny was being shaken; his head lolling slightly, he found himself being dragged away from the beginnings of a dream; or rather a nightmare. All of Kenny's dreams were extremely realistic, but hardly any of them ended well. As Butter's voice called to him, Kenny's eyes twitched underneath their lids, his eye brows knitting together as his lips parted just faintly.

"It hurts…" He said quietly; his voice taking on a sleepy rumble. Kenny's body shuddered as he began to wake, his bleary blue eyes opening up. His surroundings were taking a while to refocus; but once they did he saw a pair of bright blue eyes watching him. Kenny didn't jump up or startle, instead he blinked away his sleep and clinging remnants of his dream and broke out into a yawn. He noticed Butter's lean back, but paid no mind to it and stretched his arms above his head. The sensation made his body tingle.

"That was close, was I going to get a wake-up kiss?" He asked in the semi-playful manner he usually had. Kenny always flirted with people. …Just not the gang he usually hung out with. Sitting up straighter, Kenny looked the blond up and down, the gears in his head beginning to turn and work again. It only just occurred to him that he wasn't sure what Butter's was doing. "…Anyways, what are you doing here?"

Butters had almost flinched away when Kenny had mumbled 'it hurts', but he had managed to recover quickly enough that he was sure his friend hadn't noticed. He was almost instantly shocked again when Kenny flirted with him, even if it was only in a joking manner.

"W-well you see I noticed that you left your pencil so I was gunna return it to you… and then you were asleep, and you were gunna miss class so I w-woke you up." Butters rambled, explaining why he was there but keeping out the stuff that would get him into trouble. "..here." He said, offering the pencil out to the sleepy blond.

Kenny blinked in a confused manner, his mind still in a sleepy daze as his gaze dipped to observe the pencil that Butters was holding out to him. An awkward little smile came over Kenny's lips. It was just a simple gesture, but for some reason it still made the blond happy.

Kenny reached out and took the pencil, his fingers just brushing the others as he took it. "Thanks man. I would have had to jack one from a teacher's desk if it hadn't been for you returning it to me." He said, flashing Butters a small smile before the bell rang.

Kenny gave a quick glance towards the speaker before he gave Butters a little salute. "Well, see you around Butters."

"Y-yeah, see ya." Butters said with a small smile before he realized that his class was on the opposite side of school. With a panicked look he sped off, not wanting to be late and get a detention.

~:

"Butters! Where were you? It took you way too long to get home. You were out there causing trouble weren't you!?" Butter's father accused angrily. Butters had hardly walked in the front door when his father had stormed up to him. "No S-Sir! The teacher kept us over t-to discuss a project!" Butters said, trying to defend himself against the usual on slot of accusations. Sometimes if he was lucky he would get away with not being grounded, but he was almost permanently grounded anyway.

"Your grades better not be slipping again Butters!" His father said, accusing him all over again. "No sir, it was just an announcement to the class!" Butters said, silently pleading that his father would just drop the anger. His heart started to hammer in his chest as he watched the expressions on his father's face. Please, please, please let him not be grounded. He had just gotten over his last grounding for leaving the toilet seat up.

"Alright." His father said, causing Butters to heave a sigh of relief. "But if I find out that you're lying to me, you'll be grounded until your twenty, have I made myself clear?" His father said, effectively killing Butter' good mood. He nodded vigorously in response. "Good, now go upstairs and study until it's time for dinner." His father said with a nod. Butters didn't need to be told twice, so before he could get grounded he darted upstairs to his room.

Once he made it to the imagined safety of his room Butters shut the door with a tired sigh. He was careful to keep the two noises almost silent since he didn't want to get into trouble for making too much noise. Butters had already escaped a punishment which was rare, so he didn't want to take any chances.

Butters laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. It felt like his parents were getting angrier by the day and he was running out of ideas on how to avoid getting yelled at. Sure, he was used to getting punished for things that most kids found weird, like the time he had been punished because his parents didn't like his face, but he had been able to learn to avoid them. Now though, there was no way to avoid anything.

Sometimes Butters wondered if his parents hated him. They always got mad and told him that he was a disappointment even when he tried his hardest. Maybe he was just a terrible son. He wasn't nearly smart enough, or skilled enough to make anyone happy. Butters was just an overall failure in his own eyes, and now he had one more reason to feel that way. Once more reason for his parents to hate him.

Butters knew that he wasn't supposed to like boys. His parents had been sure that he learned that when he was little. However, he just had to mess up again and end up liking a guy. Oh his parents would be furious with him if they found out that he liked Kenny. Then they'd really hate him, and probably ground him for life.

"Butters!" His father yelled from downstairs, shocking Butters out of his train of thought. "Get down here, your mother needs your help!" He finished and Butters got up quickly. "Y-yes Sir, coming!" He called back before heading downstairs.

~:

Kenny sighed out heavily as he returned to the decrepit mess his family called a house, a scowl on his face as he began to slide off his shoes. Even though their house was full of garbage (primarily beer cans), his mother kept the house primarily clean

A young girl ran out of a side room and greeted him, smiling broadly. "Kenny!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "Welcome home!" She said happily. Kenny glanced down to meet her gaze; a gentle smile creeping over his lips. She was his little sister, the only pure angel in his rotting heap of a family. He fought to keep her that way, too.

"Thank you Karen." He said with a warm tone, gently pushing his sister off. Kenny looked past her and at the hallway. "Dad out?" He asked. The girl hesitated, and then nodded. Kenny gave a short nod and smiled. His little sister looked uncertainly at him, and he couldn't blame her. By now she knew what he was up to whenever he asked.

"…He'll yell at you when he gets home…" She muttered sadly, her voice edging uncertainly. Kenny shrugged it off easily; beginning to make his way to the kitchen.

"So what?" Kenny snorted, pulling open the refrigerator and spying the alcohol his father kept there. Reaching forward, he began to stuff a few cans into his arms. "Let him yell. I don't are." He said nonchalantly. It really was his father's bad. If he didn't want Kenny finding it by now then he shouldn't have put it all in the fridge. It was common sense.

His sister shifted uneasily. "Kenny….It's Dad's… He'll only get mad."

Kenny closed the fridge, hardly listening. His blue eyes rested on Karen for a moment. Then he should be spending his money on groceries- not booze." He responded promptly, only to see Karen's gaze falter. A small wave of guilt came over him.

"…Look, I won't drink them all. I'll only drink one tonight, alright?" He said; trying to be comforting. Of course it was a lie; Kenny had no intention to only drink one; what purpose would it serve? …But if telling Karen such things would make her feel better then he would say it all until he could longer speak.

Once she yielded, Kenny gave a short nod and made his way for his own room, stuffing the cans into the hiding spot he had reserved in his closet. If his father ever found out just how many he usually stole from him weekly he'd kick his as for sure… though sometimes Kenny would fight him back.

Kenny flopped onto his bed and listened to the hum of the television from his mother's room- letting the time slip by that way until he could hear his father coming home. He laid still; his eyes still closed as he listened expectantly. After all, his father regularly started arguments with him and his mother, but never his brother Kevin and his sister Karen.

"Welcome ho- God Damn it Stuart! Don't tell me you're drunk again!"

"Shut- up, I'm a man; I can do what I want to. You can't stahp me."

"You're setting a bad example for the kids!"

"Oh, am I? Let me tell you some'in. They're already a bad example!" Kenny waited as he heard a pause, knowing full well that his father stalked to the fridge. He knew the next words before they were said.

"Where's Kenny?!"

"Stuart, you leave our child out of thi-"

Angry stomps were fast approaching his door, and Kenny waited patiently as his father came bursting in, clearly in a drunken stupor as his eyes blazed. He grappled for his parka, and Kenny let him drag him up.

"You little thieving shit!" His father spat. Kenny's blue crisp eyes glared directly back, challenging him. "How many'd you steal this time?! You ungrateful little-"

He was cut off by his mother storming in and hitting his father hard enough on the back to make him let go. Kenny backed up.

"I said leave our soon alone!"

"God Damn it woman!" His father reared on her, and Kenny used the distraction to slide out of his open window, making a break for it. He could faintly hear his parents screaming at each other still- so he ran until he could finally forget them and calm down.

…He needed a good distraction, and something to relieve stress. Kenny's breath came out in pants as he pulled out his phone, scrolling down contacts. …Maybe he could get a booty call this late.


	2. Black Mail

"Of course I'm listening Eric!" Butters said even though it was a lie. He really was trying to pay attention, but he was getting distracted watching Kenny flirt with a couple girls across the school yard. He knew that he had no reason to be upset with the orange wearing blond, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't upset at all. Jealous was the best way to describe it. He was jealous that those girls were getting the full version of Kenny's charming grin.

After a few more seconds of trying to listen to Cartmen, Butters found himself distracted again. Now the girls were giggling and Kenny was getting touchy feely. At that moment, Butters found himself wondering what it would be like to be a girl. He'd have a chance with Kenny, and maybe his parent would love him more. His parents said he was offensive. Girls weren't offensive usually.

Cartmen nodded when Butters told him that he had his attention, glad to see his blue eyes on him once more. "Okay, good. Now- I was thinking that to get back at Kyle, we would hurt him where the Jews like him really feel it." He said, rambling on about his master scheme until he noticed Butters' gaze once again leave him and look left.

Thoroughly irritated, Cartmen threw his gaze to follow Butters. Honestly, what was so god damn important? "What the Hell is going-"

Kenny…. He was looking at Kenny. At first, Cartmen still didn't understand what was so interesting, until he glanced back and saw the look on Butters' face. …He'd seen that look before; on Stan when Wendy had another boyfriend for a while… It was a look of jealousy, and that was all he needed to remember for the light switch to click on in his mind.

Yes… it all made sense. Why Butters had never had a girlfriend, why Kenny was always with girls but never committed. They were gay…and one hid while the other had a cover. It was all coming together now in his head.

"…Holy shit.." Cartmen breathed, a new gleam entering his eyes. This was juicy… it was _perfect_… "…I get it now… holy fucking shit…" Forget Kyle, it could wait. This was **much**better.

"Huh? What was that Eric?" Butters asked having forgotten that he was supposed to be paying attention. "What do you get now?" He asked, having heard the last part of what Cartmen had said. When he turned to look at the bulky teenager Butters paled. "E-Eric?" He asked a bit nervously. There was a diabolical look on Cartmen's face that Butters knew all too well. He was plotting something evil, and Butters had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

"…Yeah…" Cartmen muttered, turning to look back at Butters. His chestnut brown eyes were swirling; dark clouds gathering like a wicked storm of evil in his mind. He noticed the look on Butters face, making his own split into a wide smirk.

"Butters." Cartmen reached out and took a hold of the blonde's arm; pulling him closer to him to whisper. "…You _like_ Kenny don' cha?" He asked wickedly- though he already knew the answer. Leaning back Cartmen looked victoriously smug over the blond.

"Why you little fag you!" Cartmen playfully punched his arm, grinning from ear to ear. "For how long? Spill Butters."

"B-But I don't know what you m-mean Eric!" Butters half spluttered in embarrassment. How did Eric know that he liked Kenny? Had he been overly obvious about it all? Maybe he looked at Kenny differently, or too often, and oh boy, maybe he shouldn't have tried to return the pencil.

Butters rubbed his arm as he tried to calm himself down. If he freaked out then Cartmen would know the truth, but could he lie to Eric? His bulky friend always knew when he was lying. Not too long after he thought that, Butters watched Cartmen's face fall. "…O-oh God.." Butters stuttered. He knew he was lying.

"O-okay… I-I do, a-alright." Butters stuttered embarrassed. There, he admitted it. Oh god, his parents were going to ground him forever now. "P-please don't say anything Eric!" he pleaded.

No sooner than Butters confessed did Cartmen wrap his arm around the nervous blond like a master taking on an apprentice under his wing. Cartmen began to lead Butters away from the school yard, chuckling as wheels began to turn. He finally had the perfect blackmail… the only thing that could make this better would be if it was Kyle instead.

"No worries Butters, you only need to do what I tell ya to, an' I won't tell nobody." Cartmen said, smoothing his words over in his comforting tone. "You get what I'm saying right?" Cartmen gave Butters a broad grin.

~:

Butters rubbed at his tired eyes as he tried to focus on the extra math homework in front of him. "Aw man, I can't believe I'm stuck doing Eric's homework.." Butters complained. His parents were going to ground him for looking tired tomorrow, he just knew it. He had too much extra work now, so he didn't have enough time to sleep. However, losing sleep was a small price to pay in order to keep Cartmen from telling everyone his secret.

Butters was sure that he'd die of embarrassment if his friends found out he liked Kenny. His parents wouldn't be the only ones who would hate him. The blond was even sure that he would never get to talk to Kenny again either, and that would mean losing his nicest friend.

With a yawn, Butters finished the last problem on Eric's worksheet. He looked over at his digital clock and was dismayed to see that it was one thirty in the morning. This was the fourth night in a row that he was going to get less than five hours of sleep since he had to get up early for school or risk getting grounded..

~:

"H-here you go Eric." Butters said, trying his best to sound like his normal chipper self as eh handed his friend his homework. Honestly Butters was too tired to really put up a fake front today, but with Eric he'd at least try. He didn't want to get snippy with Cartmen and make his whole situation worse.

Cartmen turned when Butters addressed him in the hall, a smug smile crossing his face as he greedily snatched up the papers from Butters' fingertips. Cartmen glanced quickly over the problems to make sure they were completed before he grinned and patted Butters' shoulder.

"Good work Butters." Cartmen commemorated. "Like this, my grades'll go up an' maybe coach will let me stay on the team." He said, turning and beginning to head for his next class, leaving Butters there alone.

Kenny glanced up when he heard Butter's across the hallway, looking at him hand something to Cartmen. …What the Hell was he doing…? Was that the fat bastard's homework? Kenny wasn't close enough to hear anything but he could clearly see how smug Cartmen looked as he lorded over the blond and that was never a good sign.

Normally, Kenny liked to stay out of ordeals like this- especially if Cartmen was involved… but he couldn't just let it go when he knew the fat ass hole was picking on Butters. There was something very wrong about it that unsettled Kenny; and it was probably had to do with the fact that the light blond didn't deserve Cartmen's shit.

The poor boy waited until Cartmen left before he tried to approach the other, sneaking up behind him. He gave a quick glance to make sure that Cartmen was out of sight before he touched Butter's shoulder very gently- attempting to get his attention. "…Hey."

Butters nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. The only thing that kept him from yelping was the sound of Kenny's voice. "H-hey Kenny, aren't you gonna be late for class..?" Butters said after he had turned around to look at Kenny. He tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart after the sudden shock to his system.

He wondered what Kenny wanted. Usually he didn't speak to Butters randomly like this, there was always something he wanted. Butters found himself wondering if maybe he was delivering a message. It couldn't be that Cartmen had told him anything because he wouldn't be speaking with him at all if he knew. "Did ya need somethin'?" Butters asked.

Up close, Butters looked a lot worse off than he though. There were unusually dark bags underneath his usually bright eyes and his entire manner seemed spent. Normally, if Butters was like anything he was that phrase 'too much'. He was always way over the normal limit of happy, cute, bubbly, and energetic, and for the first time since he'd known Butters, the male looked lacking- which was concerning.

His first reaction was his silent shock, but before he knew it, he was beginning to feel angry. …That stupid fat pig, what had he done? It had to have been something bid if Butters was looking like this. Kenny's eyes burned into Butters' for a moment as he tried to keep calm.

"…Butters, what is going on with you and Cartmen?" He asked, tying to keep himself calm though his voice was edging on dangerous. If Butters wouldn't tell him, then he'd force it out of Cartmen later.

Butters physically paled when Kenny practically glared at him. Oh god, he had been wrong. Kenny knew, he knew and he was angry. Butters could completely understand Kenny being angru with him. No one would want to hear that Butters Stotch liked them. Was Kenny going to hit him? It certainly looked like he'd be going home with a black eye. His parents would ground him for the bruise and then he'd have to explain how he got it.

The nervous blond flinched slightly when Kenny said his name. This was it, he was going to get hit. He waited for the impact, but it never came. Some color returned to his face when he realized what Kenny had said. So he didn't know? The relief thatwashed through him was probably obvious. Kenny was mad at Cartmen, not him. However, his relief was short lived when he realized Kenny thought Eric was bothering him.

"N-Nothin's going on with me an' Eric. Just the normal stuff." Butters said, not wanting Kenny to look too into what was going on.

"Bull shit." Kenny snorted. It was completely obvious that something was going on by how pale Butters had gotten when he approached him. Cartmen must be doing something to scare him, and that only made Kenny feel angrier. He was definitely going to have to see to this.

"Butters," Kenny lightly grabbed the blond by his shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. "You can tell me. I'm your friend." He said, doing his best to let his rage against the bastard go. "You aren't yourself and whatever Cartmen's doing is wrong… if you tell me I'll fix it for you."

With just a few words, Butters found himself stuck. His lie hadn't worked, and now he was at a loss on what to do. If he continued to lie, Kenny would just go to Eric for answers, and that would be the same thing as telling the truth. Eric would spill what he knew if Kenny threatened him.

Butters wished that he could just tell Kenny. He really did trust him, but he couldn't trust him with that. Maybe he could appeal to Kenny's nicer nature and talk him out of going to Cartmen. Butters forced himself to look Kenny in the face since his eyes had been trying to find anything else to focus on.

"I-It's nothin' you can really fix. I'm s-sorry. I do promise that it's nothin' too awful bad, so don't worry." Butters said with a smile. It was nice to know that Kenny was worried, but no one needed to waste their worry on him. "I've just been helping Eric out is all."

Kenny's gaze lingered on Butters for a long while, running everything that he just told him through his head as he tried to mull over what to do. There were only a few more minutes until the class bell rang, so he needed to decide quickly while he had Buttters here.

It was obvious that he was lying. It didn't matter if it wasn't anything 'too awful', letting Cartmen get away with anything was bad. Kenny would have preferred Butters tell him- since Cartmen could stretch the truth to anything he wanted- but it was clear that Kenny wasn't going to get anywhere with Butters. That meant he had to go and corner Cartmen.

The blonde's eyes did not waver as he snapped his attention back to Butters, letting go of his shoulders and giving a small nod- though it was clear that Kenny was in by no means satisfied by Butters' response. "…Alright, hurry to your next class Butters." He said, knowing that the blond was terrified of getting a tardy- for some reason.

It was obvious that Kenny didn't trust what he had told him, but Butters didn't have time to worry about that. With a look akin to panic, Butters sped off to his first class of the day, not wanting to be late. He'd just have to hope that everything worked out okay.

~~:

Cartmen was talking to Stan and Kyle, trying his best to get them to come over and watch a new movie with him. He didn't have practice Friday, which was a rare occurrence for him. School had just let out, and he was talking to them y the lockers. Currently he was laughing.

"Yeah you guys, it's going to be-"

"Cartmen!"

Looking up fast, Cartmen caught a glimpse of an orange parka storming up the hall, people parting like the red sea to let him pass. The bulky male's face turned a significantly pale shade when he noticed how fierce his friend's blue eyes were. Cartmen had no doubt that all Hell had frozen over and Kenny was coming to drag him down to the frozen shards left waiting for him.

Kyle and Stan scampered away, making Cartmen turn to watch their fleeting backs. Cartmen could feel his blood run cold. "H-Hey! Where're you guys goin'!?" He pleaded, voice cracking. He opened his mouth to yell angrily after them for ditching him, but he didn't get the chance. With a cry of terror, Cartmen felt himself be torn back around and pushed into the lockers. Cartmen's eyes connected to searing blue gaze of Kenny's.

"K-K-Kenny!" Cartmen exclaimed in shock, his hear t thudding in his throat. An uneasy and nervous smile crossed over his face. " H-Hey buddy… wha-uh, what are you doing?" He asked in a frightened tone. He honestly didn't understand why Kenny was here being mad at him. He couldn't think of what he'd done to him, so he didn't understand why the blond was pinning him to the locker like this.

"Shut up Cartmen!" Kenny seethed, and Cartmen twisted his tongue to listen. What the Hell had gotten into him, what had he done?

He could feel Kenny's grip on him tighten threateningly, making Cartmen wince. It hurt- but he dind't want to say anything until Kenny explained _why_ he was doing this. The other male's face twitched into a snarl.

"What the Hell did you do to Butters?" Kenny growled out. Cartmen's brown eyes widened in surprise. …What was that? Butters? What the hell was Kenny…

"…Butters…?" Cartmen asked, his fear dissipating. Slowly, everything was coming together. Kenny was here for Butters, because he liked Butters… except Butters didn't know. It was so ironic, but beautiful. Cartmen had to keep himself form smirking. …Now he had two perfect toys to play with.

"Yes, Butters." Kenny stated, tone angry and lashing. "Now what did you do to him?"

Cartmen was no longer afraid. The brown haired male pushed Kenny away bravely and smirked, shrugging. "Cool your tits Kenny. I haven't done anything to Butters… yet." He baited. He watched the blonde's hot and burning eyes shift uncertainly. It was all Cartmen could manage to not break out into a grin. _Hook!_

"…Yet?" Kenny echoed, looking frustrated. Before he could regain his composure, Cartmen decided to reel in and snag him.

"Well, you see, I have a valuable piece of information about him- and he'll do anything so I don't tell." He said slyly. He could clearly see that he had his full attention, the other's blue eyes staring at him with undivided attention.

"Now, I've been thinking of just _how_ I want to use this against him, something embarrassing and worthy… equally as humiliating…" Cartmen was toying with the notion. He was aware of Kenny's hardening gaze. "…and I think I just might exact it at a sleep over." He said, watching an internal switch click in Kenny.

Kenny's fists tightened as he pushed Cartmen toughly to the lockers again, rage on his face. "Why you fat-"

"Mr. McCormick!"

"Turning fast, Kenny and Cartmen could see the school's strict English teacher making their way towards them. Kenny cursed inwardly, pushing Cartmen away.

"This isn't over." He glowered at him before making a break for the door. Cartmen watched him run out with a wicked smirk. Quietly, he added to himself. "Oh, I'm counting on it…"


	3. A Weekend to Remember: Day One

"Butters." Kenny called up through the hallway, it was Friday after school, and he wanted to get to him before Cartmen could. His eyes were set in fierce determination as he walked briskly through the crowd of high schoolers. He wouldn't let this happen.

Butters paused as he heard his name called. "Oh hey Kenny." He said once he turned to see who was calling him. He was pleased to see that his blond haired friend no longer looked angry. He was still a little on edge however since he wasn't sure if he had spoken with Eric yet.

"What can I do for ya?" Butters asked as he adjusted his back pack. It was heavier today, but ti could have been worse. Apparently Eric didn't have any homework this weekend, so Butters only really had his own to do.

Kenny finally made his way over to Butters and was glad to see that the blond looked a bit better. Butters wasn't as tired as he had been the other day. He looked much better rested and he seemed much happier today. He wanted to comment on it, but here were other much more important matters to attend to first- like making sure Butters steered clear of Cartmen.

"I want you to come over for this weekend." Kenny said. He couldn't believe he was saying it, but he needed to. Kenny only ever staid at other people's houses; he'd never invited anyone over because of how his family was. Kenny swallowed and looked at Butters straight in the eyes. "Ask your parents and come over, alright? I'll have my mom call and tell you where we live. But you **have** to come over… you understand?" He said, his voice determined.

"Wh-What?" Butters stuttered, not sure he had heard right. "You want me to hang out with you this weekend?" He asked, sounding confused. No one invited him to hang out on the weekends except for Eric. Butters was even more surprised that it was Kenny asking because even he knew that Kenny never invited anyone over.

"Why?" Butters asked before he could stop himself. It wasn't that he was ungrateful or anything, but he was very curious. Everything didn't add up. Still what he said could be considered rude. "I-I'm sorry… I don't mean to be rude, I was just curious an' all. We don't normally hang out…" Butters said, getting a little fidgety.

Why, of course Butters had to ask him why. No Kenny had to come up with something, he couldn't tell him why he was trying to keep Cartmen away from him… and he supposed it actually had to be a good reason; considering he'd never invited anyone over before. Kenny tried his best to whip something up quick, but nothing was coming to mind.

"I've never had anyone over before- and I'd rather you come over than Cartmen or the others." He said, finding the statement was true. He certainly would rather have Butters over opposed to anyone else. Kenny chuckled half-heartedly. "Anyone else would probably laugh, and I trust you not to."

Butters had been concerned while he waited for Kenny's response, and he visibly brightened when he heard it. Kenny trusted him with something like that? Butters was pretty ecstatic to hear that. Any worried he might have had about his friends motives were instantly gone. "Why thanks Kenny." Butters said with a genuine happy smile. "No one's said they trusted me like that before." He said, completely touched.

"I-If you're sure an' all I'll ask my parents about it as soon as I get home." Butters said as he tried to contain how happy he was. Kenny really was the nicest to him. "Speaking of home, I've got to go. My dad'll be cross with me if I'm late again." Butters said suddenly when he realized he was wasting time talking. Now he'd have to run home today.

Kenny smiled to himself when he saw Butters light up the way he did. He couldn't explain why, but the look on his face was too cute for words. He wanted to tell Butters that he didn't have to be so touched about it, but the blond was scampering off before he knew it. Blinking slightly, he found himself chuckling. This would certainly prove to be an interesting weekend.

~:

Kenny closed the door behind him, breathing out a long sigh. He knew that his little sister was out with friends until Saturday, and Kevin usually didn't bother him, so he assumed it was a good time to ask for a friend over.

Pulling his shoes off of his feet with his heels, Kenny was trying to mull over just how he was going to ask his mom. He'd never asked if he could before, so he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Should he just wander up and ask or…

"Kenny? You home already?" His mother called from down the hall, making the blond look up. He guessed he didn't have the time to think about it.

The red haired woman came out to greet him, smiling in pleasant surprise. Kenny was never home on the weekends, so he knew why she was so shocked to see him home. Usually Kenny would just go to someone else's home and not come home until Monday night. His mother was smiling brightly at him.

Kenny flipped his head back and tried to return the smile. "Hey mom… can I have a friend over for the weekend?" He asked, deciding that it was just better to come out with it and ask. His mother's eyes widened in her surprise, but a smile danced across her lips.

"You want… a _friend_ over? Oh Kenny, you aint never asked for that!" She exclaimed excitedly, scooping her son into her arms. Kenny stiffened, having been caught completely off guard. Although he didn't really understand what was so exciting about him having a friend over, Kenny still smiled just slightly and waited for his mother to let go of him.

Of course you can! Oh, who is it you're inviten'?" She asked excitedly. Kenny smiled. "I'm inviting Butters Stotch over." He said, causing his mother's eyes to light up.

"The Stoches… So excitin'!" She exclaimed, beginning to shoo Kenny away. "Then you go n' clean your room while I call. I'll let you know when he gets here."

~:

"Mom, Dad!" Butters said excitedly as he actually arrived home a little earlier than usual. Both of Butters' parents looked up at their son when he came through the door. "You're home early son." Steven said as Butters tried to control his breathing. He had run the whole way home after all. "Yeah, but guess what? I was invited to stay with a friend this weekend!" Butters said happily.

Both Steven and Linda looked at Butters with an almost shocked look on their faces. Butters was scared for a moment as he waited for his parents to say something, anything. He could never be sure if he was going to get into trouble, and with the way his parents were looking at him, Butters was afraid that he might have done something to make them angry. Maybe he forgot to make his bed or close the bathroom closet door again.

"Good for you son, making friends." Seven said with a smile, causing his son to beam back at him. "Yeas, now who will you be staying with Butters dear?" Linda asked, seeming as pleased as her husband was. "Kenny McCormick." Butters said, happy that his parents were going to let him go. They only acted this way when they were going to say yes.

"The McCormicks huh?" Steven said before he nodded to himself. "You just make sure that you mind your manners mister. We wouldn't want you scaring off your friends now." Steven said as the phone rang and Linda got up to answer it. "Yes sir." Butters said with a smile.

~:

Butters soon found himself in front of Kenny's house. It still looked the same as it had when Butters had been in grade school. He was almost nervous as he walked up to the door and knocked. He had never really hung out with Kenny before, so he wasn't sure how this was going to go. Maybe he'd end up making Kenny and his family hate him because he was so weird and boring. He'd sure make his own parents mad if he did that.

"Hi Mrs. McCormick, thank you ever so much for havin' me over." He said with a kind smile.

Mrs. McCormick looked down at Butters once he'd arrived, a look of joy instantly over taking her face. The red head's eyes lit up when she saw the young blond with his back pack.

"Ah! You must be Butters!" She gushed out, opening the front door wide. The inside looked cleaner than it usually did, but only because she'd rushed to clean before he came over. Side stepping, she let the little blond in.

"Come on in. Go ahead an' take your shoes off. I'll call Kenny down an' he'll show you his room." She said, watching Butters begin to take his shoes off before turning her head to scream up through the house; her voice ear splitting.

"KENNY! YER FRIEND'S HERE!" She yelled, her voice faltering into a light cough before she turned back to Butters and smiled in a friendly manner. "H e'll be here any minute." She said, though she could already hear her son coming down the hall.

Butters had tried not to flinch when Kenny's mom yelled for her son. He smiled back at her when she said that Kenny would be down soon even though his ears were ringing slighty from the high pitch yell. He waited until he saw Kenny appear from the hallway. Butters smiled. "Hey." He said as he tried to ignore how nervous he was. He really didn't want to mess this up at all, or Kenny might never want to hang out with him again. "Thanks for invitin' me over again." He said.

Kenny came through the hall and smiled at Butters in the door frame, his mother standing right next to him. He could see that he felt nervous, though he hoped that he soon wouldn't have to feel that way around him here. The blond walked up and grabbed Butters' bag for him, about to tell him to follow him to his room when his mother exclaimed in shock.

"Kenny! You couldn't put on somethin' different? You're always wearin' that orange parka!" She began to pat his shoulders and chest as she fussed, a distraught look on her face. Kenny took a step back, as though spooked. His mother never acted like this.

When he took a step back, his mother put her hands on her hips. "You don't have anything nicer to wear?" She asked. Kenny's face heated in embarrassment. God what had gotten into her?

"I don't dress any different for church!" Kenny retorted, wrapping a hand around Butters' arm. He had no intention of arguing with his mother about her strange behavior, but he wasn't going to put up with it either. Quickly, he began to pull Butters after him, his mother tailing them.

"You would if you went to church!" She called, but was unable to get Kenny's attention. The blond continued to lead Butters to his room so he could get him away before his mother doted anymore.

Once they made it to the sanctity of his room, Kenny closed the door behind him and gave out an exhale of relief. Looking up, he smiled in a sheepish manner. "Sorry about that- she's acting weird today. But thanks for coming."

"Oh you don't need to apologize." Butters said with a small smile. "And you're welcome I suppose, but you don't need to thank me." He said being truthful. If anything, Butters should be thanking Kenny again for inviting him over. He hardly ever got to leave his house since he was never invited anywhere.

Butters took a second to look around Kenny's room with a smile. It looked like Kenny had rushed to pack up his room since he could see that some things were hastily shoved in places. The room was a lot messier than Butters', but he liked it. It actually looked like someone lived here versus his own that had no personal touches. "So, what do you wanna do?" Butters asked, still in a good mood. He hoped he didn't sound like an idiot for asking.

While Butters situated himself and set down his back pack full of stuff, Kenny shrugged off his orange layer and sat down heavily onto his bed, trying to think of where or how they were going to sleep. He began to move the pillows on the bed as he thought.

"…Uh… I don't really know." Kenny confessed, looking up at Butters for a moment before he adverted his gaze. "I usually don't stay at home. …But we could talk or go somewhere I think my mom's going to try and scrounge something up for us- we could help her…" Kenny mumbled, trying to think of something, anything interesting, that he could do with Butters.

Looking a little embarrassed, he decided to look at Butters and smile apologetically. "I'm really sorry, I'm not used to entertaining a guest." He admitted awkwardly.

"That's alright." Butters said, trying to be positive to try and make Kenny feel a bit better. He hadn't meant to upset his friend or make him feel awkward about having him over. Butters had kind of figured that Kenny didn't entertain guests much, so he had come prepared with a few ideas if he started to bore Kenny with his company.

"W-we could help your mom like you said, or-or if you're not used to staying home we could go out for a bit. I-I've got a gift card to the movie place I need to use." Butters offered. The card expired in a couple weeks and his parents would be mad if he didn't use the gift. Butters just never had anyone to take with him. "Or we could just talk an' stuff." He offered last.

Butters couldn't help how he was fidgeting. He wasn't very good at entertaining people either. He was used to listening to what Eric told him to do. Butters always did what everyone else was doing, so making his own choices was a bit hard for him.

Kenny watched Butters fidget nervously and talk, his eyes glancing all around in different directions. The blond was beginning to look unsure of himself, and it made Kenny smile a little bit. It was cute that he was trying hard too, and it made Kenny feel just a little better.

Reaching out to touch Butters' arm, Kenny tried to grab his attention so he'd stop feeling nervous and listen. The blond gave him a wayward smile. "Well, you just got here, so we can hang out and calm down, figure out what we're doing and then maybe see if we can help out my mom at all." He said, moving his light pillow further to the side to make room. A sly smile crossed his lips as he tugged at the sheets.

"We can always go out and o things tomorrow, like a date." He said playfully, casting a quick glance over in the blonde's direction. "But for now, do you want to sleep on my bed? We can share it if you want but I don't mind the floor."

Butters fought the blush that had almost overtaken his face. Kenny saying the word date didn't mean anything special, especially where Butters was concerned. Kenny always flirted with people, it was part of his nature. "S-Sure, sounds good. B-But I can't take your bed!" Butters said like he was horrified at the idea. "An' I get all clingy n' stuff, so I can take the floor." He said, hoping Kenny would see things his way.

Kenny smirked deviously when he saw a light blush creep to the tops of the other's cheeks, though he decided not to comment on it and save Butters for a moment.

"No, really. I don't mind a clingy bed mate. I'm used to it." Kenny reached down and pulled up a second pillow. He was actually bluffing. The blond had seen many different beds; but he almost always either left after sex or slept on the woman's couch. Kenny was almost always used to being alone, but he didn't feel the need to tell Butters that.

"You don't need to worry, I fuss in my sleep sometimes." Kenny said, scooting over on the bed to offer Butters a seat on it. He was grinning at the blond.

"I know my bed isn't exactly soft, but it's good enough." He tried to persuade, though his efforts were rather perfunctory.

Butters looked unsure of what to do. He didn't want Kenny to have to sleep on the floor and if he wasn't allowed to sleep on the floor either than he was stuck. "W-Well… if you're sure that you don't mind." Butters said after a long moment. He sat down on the bed next to Kenny with a smile. "Then I guess we can share, b-but if I get clingy, just remember that I warned you." He said, trying to sound serious on the last part.

He wasn't too keen on sleeping next to Kenny, but only because Butters was afraid that he might say or do something embarrassing.

Kenny chuckled to himself when Butters continued on warning him about his clinginess. It was adorable how insecure Butters was being, but he really didn't have to be. He wished that there was a way for him to show him, but nothing significant came to mind.

Kenny flopped down with his back to the bed, stretching his arms up above him with a groan of pleasure. He swore that stretching could feel orgasmic at times. "Good, then you can have the wall side." He said, placing his hands onto his own lean stomach once he finished.

Butters watched as Kenny flopped down on his bed and stretched himself out. He watched his whole body flex as his muscles were pulled tight and then relaxed. When Butters realized that he had been staring he quickly found something else to look at. He hadn't meant to be creepy, it had just happened since he sometimes found himself spacing out and staring.

"Since you're not normally home, where do you go on the weekends?" Butters asked out of simple curiosity. He knew that Kenny hung out with Stan and Kyle sometimes but not all the time.

Kenny rolled over onto his side once he'd satisfied himself, looking up at Butters now that he was laying down. He smiled anxiously at his questions. It was a good question, it was just that Kenny wasn't entirely sure how honest he should be.

"…Anywhere really." Kenny confessed, adverting his gaze to the bed. His fingers picked at the sheets as he attempted to think of a better answer. "…I sleep at many different ones. I've even been to Token's once." He admitted awkwardly, glancing back up at Butters. "…How about you? Do you ever go anywhere?"

"N-not really." Butters admitted, realizing that his answer was pretty lame. "I'm only really invited over to Eric's and that's only w-when he wants my help with somethin'." He said as he looked down at his hands in his lap. Sometimes he needed to actually stare at them to keep them from starting to fidget.

"I usually just stay home. It can be nice an' stuff sometimes since my parents go out on the weekends, and I get some free time." Butters said almost feeling the need to defend his poor answer earlier. How he spent his weekends probably sounded boring to Kenny. He knew that Eric certainly thought so.

Kenny nodded and smiled in understanding. "That's definitely something I can understand. I wish my family would leave the house so I wouldn't have to so much." He said in good humor, though he was far from joking. Kenny honestly wished that he could have the house to himself more often because he hated his family.

Shifting to sit up himself, Kenny smiled and got himself up off the bed. He turned to offer Butters his hand. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to 'behave' himself around Butters, but he would feel humiliated if he admitted his sins to him. There was just something about the way Butters looked at him that made Kenny feel like if he told Butters how lewd he actually was that it'd be like telling an angel himself.

"Come on then, we can go to the kitchen and see if we can help my mom." He suggested with a smile.

Butters smiled, glad when Kenny didn't seem to be judging him at all. Maybe he had been too harsh on himself since most kids enjoyed getting to spend time at home alone. He took the hand that Kenny had offered him and stood up as well. "Alright, sounds good." Butters returned the smile. He was always up for helping.

~:

Kenny sat down at the table next to Butters once he'd poured everyone a glass of water. Their shoddy table looked nicer than usual, but it still looked like it needed some definite attention. The plates and silverware were all clean- but the porcelain was chipped. It was all they really had but it still made Kenny feel just the slight bit embarrassed. He turned to look at Butters, hoping that the male wasn't judging thi9s meager representation of a usual dinner.

His mom came out with a few vegetables and a slight bit of chicken- though it wasn't nearly the normal amount that people would serve a family. Kenny sat up right in his chair, looking fairly surprised. Normally, his mother couldn't afford a meal that had more than one food group, and he was shocked to see it.

His mother must have red his mind as she set down the plates and smiled, as though very proud. "The food shelter had a little more than the usual today, so I managed to get away with this." She announced, and Kenny looked up as though astonished. He wanted to say more, but his mother took a seat and folded her hands in front of her.

"Now, let's bow our heads and say grace." His mother said in an abnormally delicate manner. Kenny felt his face fall. He hated doing this, he wasn't religious. Even if his family was Roman Catholic it didn't mean that he was. Kenny fidgeted.

"Actually mom, I wanted to-" He was cut off by his mother looking up and giving her son a stern glare.

"Kenny McCormick, you will sit here like your friend, bow your head and say grace!"

Kenny frowned. "But-"

"BOW YOUR HEAD!"

Kenny's eyes shot down to the table as he lowered his head quickly, fisting his hands on his pants as he bit his tongue. Well wasn't that just great… now he was forced to sit here.

His mother, looking pleased, bowed her head.

"Dear Lord, we thank you for this bountiful meal you have brought us. We are well aware that we do not always get treated like this and we humbly thank you. We are thankful for the good fortune you have bestowed on us all and we pray that things may continue as they are Lord…" Kenny had to resist the urge to mock his mother as she spoke, trying to wait patiently for her to finish. "And we thank you for our guest this evening, Butters. May he find good fortune and his well-being."

"Amen." Kenny concluded for her before she dragged on, raising his head. His mother opened her eyes to give him a look before she smiled herself and nodded just slightly. "Amen."

Butters almost felt a little bad that Kenny's mom had gone out of her way to cook this, especially since she had warded it as though it didn't happen often. He kept his mouth shut though and smiled politely. When Kenny's mom told them to bow their heads and say grace, Butters did so without much hesitation. He was used to having a silent prayer before meals so this wasn't anything new. He only hoped he wasn't called upon to say it out loud.

His eyes opened in shock when he heard Kenny start to protest. Butters had never once tried to protest when it came to his own parents so it was surprising to hear Kenny do so. It was even more shocking when his mother yelled, causing Butters to flinch. Instead of being scared though, he had to suppress a smirk when he saw Kenny finally give in and bow his head out of the corner of his eye.

Butters echoed Kenny's 'Amen' and raised his head after the prayer was over. Just something as simple as saying grace had been eventful.

Kenny was very grateful when he was finally able to pick up his head and be allowed to eat. Honestly he was starving. Kenny hated school lunch because he had to watch other people eat; either that or steal from Cartmen's tray, so he was looking forward to dinner.

The red haired woman turned to smile at Butters when he also concluded the prayer with them, her attitude seeming to brighten. "What a good young boy- so polite!" She exclaimed, leaning over to serve Butters first. "I'll let you get first pick." She said. Kenny couldn't keep himself from rolling his eyes- though he certainly knew better than to say anything. He'd already received his mother's temper, and he wasn't interested in a second helping of it.

He waited as patiently as he could while his mom began to put food on his plate for him, smiling a quick thanks once she'd finished and watched her dish the amount left to her plate. She was smiling. "So, how long have you known my Kenny? I don't know that I've seen ya before."

"I guess I've known Kenny since fourth grade." Butters said after he'd thought about it for a moment. He remembered playing games with Kenny and the group when they were younger, but they had never really spend time together. Well, there was that one time Kenny had gone to Hawaii with him because the airport wouldn't let him fly alone.

Even though Butters was trying his hardest to be polite, he was still surprised by how Kenny's mom was reacting. She was treating him as though he was the most polite kid she had ever met. He was sure it was a compliment, but Butters wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Being polite was expected of him at all times at home.

"For that long!" She sounded as though the information had floored her by how impressive it was. Kenny couldn't help but to look up and give his mother s strange look. He really didn't get what was so impressive or why she was being the way she was. …It was really starting to weird him out.

"Kenny, why haven't you introduced him before?" Kenny's mother scolded him, only making Kenny look even more confused and embarrassed. "He's a great deal better than that Cartmen. That boy was nuthin' but rude." Kenny let out a long sigh that edged on a groan. Honestly, and his mother wondered why he hated sitting at the table. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

His mother smiled. "Sure, why don't we figure out more about each other? Butters," The woman turned to smile kindly at the blond child. "Why don't you tell us about yourself?"

Butters smiled back even though he felt a little nervous with all of the questions. He could understand why Kenny was embarrassed now. His mom was even starting to embarrass him. "Oh, um…" Butters struggled to come up with something to say. He had no idea how to answer that question, at least not simply. Mostly, Butters just wanted the conversation to move away from this topic.

"I'm not too sure what to say…" Butters said as he tried to wrack his brain for an answer that wouldn't sound completely stupid. "I guess I could say that I'm an honor student an' stuff." He said before he immediately wanted to smack himself. That sounded so stupid and horribly boring. He half wanted to hide his face in his hands and groan, but he settled for fidgeting with his hands a bit. At least those were hidden from view.

Kenny's mom's eyes lit up with delight. "A honor's student!" She exclaimed, her voice cooing in her absolute fancy. She was looking at Butters with a new light, her eyes gleaming. Kenny resisted the urge to groan by stabbing at his chicken. She was treating Butters like God himself had descended from heaven to earth to eat with them. …Maybe he wasn't the only one who thought Butters was morally akin to something of holy and pure decent.

"How delightful! I just imagine that your parents are so proud of you! Heck, I'd trade you for Kenny in a heartbeat!" She exclaimed with a chuckle. Kenny took a bite of his food and looked up at his mother with a definite amount of disdain.

Butters blushed slightly out of embarrassment, but he was able to pull a polite smile. The whole situation had just gone from embarrassing to awkward. He'd have to remember to apologize profusely to Kenny later. He'd hate to have his parents say something like that about him, even though he had a feeling that they thought that way sometimes.

He mumbled a polite thank you, which he was glad was received well and over looked for the most part. He busied himself with eating so he'd have an excuse not to talk and embarrass himself further.

Kenny hurriedly scarfed his food as fast as he could, trying to eat quickly enough so they could avoid his father. Out of all of his family, his father was the absolute last person Kenny wanted to introduce Butters to. When he glanced up he was glad to see that Butters was eating fast too.

Once they managed to finish their plates, Kenny got up to his feet and took both his and Butters' plates to the sink. "Thanks mom." Kenny uttered quickly, setting the plates down into the warm water. "I'm going back to my room with Butters now."

"Thank you Mrs. McCormick." Butters managed to get out before Kenny dragged him off to his room. He was almost dizzy by the time he was back in the room with the door shut tight. He was confused as to why he had been taken from the room so quickly, but he assumed it was because he didn't want to be embarrassed by his mother again.

"Ah, s-sorry Kenny." Butters stuttered, still feeling sort of bad for earlier. He hadn't meant to show Kenny up like that and cause his mother to act that way.

Kenny looked around from where he'd shut the door, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Butters. The poor blond raised an eye brow in question. "…Sorry? What for? I'm the one who should apologize." He said, taking care to lock the door after them and turn quickly to glance at the clock. It was close to six… good. His father shouldn't be home for a bit. Kenny smiled to himself before he turned to Butters.

"You're lucky my mother's married- or else I'd swear she'd be all over you." He kidded, moving back over to sit on his own bed and glance up at Butters.

Even though Kenny had told him that he didn't need to be sorry, Butters still felt bad. His parents would have gotten angry with him for bragging so he didn't understand why Kenny wasn't. "No, no. Y-you don't have to apologize either." Butters chuckled lightly at Kenny's joke. It would be best if he just tried to drop being upset for the moment.

"S-so I'm takin' that your mom isn't like that normally." Butters said, remembering how Kenny had reacted to her behavior. She had been acting like Kenny didn't have any friends. "Still though, your mom seems nice." Butters gave the other a small smile, trying to focus on creating a new conversation.

When Butters brought up Kenny's mom, Kenny felt his good mood drop again. A look of annoyance flashed across his face. "I really don't know what got into her, but I'm hoping it doesn't last." He snorted. It was sweet of Butters to say his mom was nice, but it felt like he couldn't accept the compliment for her since she wasn't usually like this. Sure, his mom was one of the better people in his family… but still.

Kenny glanced over to see that there was still an awkward look on Butters' face, which made Kenny want to frown. Did he still feel bad about it? It was fine… Kenny wanted to tell him; but he had a feeling it wouldn't help. He'd have to think of something else.

"Hey Butters," Kenny said slowly, a devious smirk curling onto his lips. The blond shifted, his shoulders rolled forward and poised like a preying predator. With only a flash of teeth for a grin did Kenny give warning with a question.

"You ticklish?"

Butters looked highly confused for a moment. "Wh-what?" He stammered out. He only had enough time to let out a yelp of surprise as Kenny tackled him to the floor. "What the..ahaha!"Butters had started to ask Kenny what his problem was before he had erupted into laughter, his friend starting to assault his sides. "St-ahah-p!" Butters pleaded between his laughter and his thrashing.

Kenny grinned broadly as he threw himself at Butters, knocking him down to the floor. He quickly straddled him and attacked his sides with wriggling fingers, watching the blond yelp, laugh and squirm as he assaulted him.

"What's the magic word?" He taunted playfully, watching the blond teenager's face flush from the strain of laughing so much. The way he was giggling was adorable, but that wasn't what eventually made Kenny slowly stop his motions. Kenny's eyes were trained on Butters as he imagined himself leaning over him in a different way. The thought had been so shocking that it made Kenny freeze up, his eyes staring into the other's flushed face. His innocent playing had quickly turned into something entirely different. …It was his fault- this position over Butters could easily be taken intimately.

God, what was he thinking- was he **that** much of a pervert that he couldn't tickle another person without, oh he was staring too long at Butters' face. Now he had made things awkward. Oh shit…

Kenny's face heated though he tried to remain stolid as he grinned, trying to pretend like he hadn't spaced out and stared at the other. "Well, what'll it be?"

Butters was relieved when the assault on his sides stopped, and he instantly got to work trying to regulate his breathing. He looked up into Kenny's face, fully intending to pout until he saw the look on his face. Butters wasn't sure what Kenny was thinking or what the look in his eyes meant, but he was glad his face was already red because it was making him blush.

He was somewhat happy and disappointed when Kenny broke his stare and spoke. "Um… please let m-me up?" Butters asked, sounding a little unsure of his choice of words. What if he said the wrong thing? Would Kenny end up tickling him again? Butters didn't think his chest could take anymore laughing.

Kenny looked down at the other's face, seeing the red tint his usually pale cheeks. His heart was pounding in his throat as he fought the temptations crawling up his spine. Butters had said what he was looking for, but Kenny found that he didn't really want to let him up. Kenny was glued to the spot as he battled with himself.

The way Butter's was looking at him right now was nearly undeniable. It made his skin tingle with a want that he wasn't used to feeling with other men… but there was no mistaking it. Kenny wanted to stay put and trace his fingers along Butters spine and sides, to feel his warm or cool skin. He wanted to lean down and open the other's lips to see if he tasted as sweet and delectable as he looked. He wanted to see him blush more, and writhe… and…

Kenny's face heated as realization came over him. He was thinking this about _Butters_, his timid friend who would probably be traumatized if he could read minds right now. Kenny couldn't even think to be concerned about Butters being a guy, he was too worried that he would end up making the blond disgusted with him…but, shouldn't he be concerned that he was a guy? Why wasn't that more concerning to Kenny? Shit- he needed to move, move and stop staring.

Blushing from his collar up, Kenny rigidly moved off of Butters, turning his face sharply to the side to hide a little. "Y-Yeah." Kenny said, his voice sounding dry. "That's right." What on earth had gotten into himself?

Butters had been starting to wonder if Kenny was going to let him up or not. The look on his friends eyes had been telling him that he wasn't about to go anywhere. Butters had even had to suppress the urge to start fidgeting under the heated gaze. It was making him feel nervous again, but it was also drawing him in. He had almost been about to reach up and touch the sides of Kenny's face when his friend suddenly spoke and moved off of him, breaking the trance like state Butters had been in.

He stood up as he tried to rid his face of his blush. That whole situation had been awkward. If Kenny hadn't moved when he did, Butters was sure he would have ended up kissing him. Oh god, what was wrong with him? He really was going to Hell now. What was he doing thinking about kissing Kenny? Butters would have ended up outing himself, spilling his secret, and losing a friend all in one move.

Butters wracked his brain for something, anything to say to change the topic and fast. "P-please don't t-tell anyone I'm ticklish!" Butters blurted out a little too suddenly. Oh lovely, he sounded like an idiot. He wanted to hide his face. Way to go on being crafty. Butters couldn't help but to chastise himself.

Kenny had been so focused on trying to calm himself down and rid his mind of its perverse thought that he had almost missed Butters blurting out his plea. Turning, Kenny caught sight Butters' heated face and found himself smiling. In Butters' embarrassment he felt his own disappear as a low chuckle escaped him, coming out slowly into a laugh. He couldn't help it. It wasn't that Kenny was laughing at Butters, it was just that it was so sudden and cute that it had caught the blond completely off guard and hit his funny bone. After all of the things Kenny had been thinking of doing to Butters he was concerned he would tell someone he was ticklish. It was too funny for words.

"I won't tell." He chuckled, getting to his feet and taking in even breaths. He felt better now, less distracted. The blond grinned at Butters. "…Though I think everyone may already guess you are- with or without my say."

Butters frowned slightly. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" Butters said with a pout. Did everyone think that he was ticklish? He certainly hoped that wasn't the case, especially because he feared that people would use it against him. "…but thanks." Butters said after a moment with a small smile. Even if everyone already knew, he was glad that Kenny wasn't going to tell.

Kenny smiled back at Butters, glad that he was calm again. "You're welcome." Kenny responded, looking to be normal though his mind was anything but. His head was spinning with new thoughts, ideas, and realizations… and he had a feeling that he probably wasn't going to find any sleep until he sorted through them.


	4. A Weekend to Remember: Day Two (part 1)

Kenny woke up with a warm feeling wrapped around him. It was very soft, but not quite as soft as his pillow. At first, it confused his sleepy brain as he tried to comprehend what could possibly be in his bed with him.

His first thought was that maybe it was a person. Maybe he'd stayed at a girl's house after sex and that's what was on him. That thought satisfied his curiosity as he snuggled his face suggestively into the crook of her neck. …It was nice, usually he wasn't able to actually sleep next to the women he slept with.

Kenny attempted to drift back to sleep, but something wasn't letting him. It was a struggling feeling that was weaseling through his drowsy mind, a feeling of misplacement. …Something was off, off with his reasoning, but for some reason Kenny couldn't figure out what it was. It persisted and bugged him until at long last he cracked his eyes open to try and satisfy it.

The first thing he realized was that it was his own bed, not some girl's. The second had been that Kenny had all of his clothes on, and so did this girl. That had meant that there had been no sex between them. Finally, the last thing the McCormick noticed was that it was no girl in his bed that was wrapped around him, it was Butters.

Suddenly, Kenny was hit with the memory of last night and all of the confusing feelings he'd felt. They repossessed his body with a new vengeance, and Kenny couldn't keep himself from blushing as he realized just how close he was to Butters.

Kenny's heart beat raced in his chest as he stared straight into Butters' agile sleeping face; listening to him gently breath in and out. The blond could feel himself blush. …There was no denying it now, there was nothing to counter it with. Kenny was lusting after his friend… and what bothered him was that Kenny's filter didn't care he was a man, or that Butters was his friend. The only thing that was keeping him reigned was that this was Butters. Sweet innocent Butters, and he couldn't just make a move on him and take it lightly.

Gah! What was he thinking?! This was his _friend!_ Kenny struggled with himself, his breath uneven as he watched Butters' sleep.

Butters slowly awoke to a very comfortable feeling. He could feel his arms wrapped around something soft and warm. The safe cozy feeling he felt gently lulled Butters back to sleep as he nestled his face into what he thought was his pillow with a soft sigh. Just as he was starting to drift back off he felt what he was holding stiffen slightly. Wait, pillows didn't do that.

Blue eyes shot open in momentary panic. For a second he forgot where he was, but he remembered now. That's right, he had slept over at Kenny's last night. Then that must mean that… Butters' face turned a nice shade of red when he realized that he had his arms wrapped around Kenny. He had mistaken his friend for his pillow in his sleepy haze.

Very quickly he released Kenny and scooted himself away from him with a shocked look on his face. "I-I'm s-so sorry Kenny! I-I swear I didn't do th-that on purpose!" He quickly stammered out. He felt terrible even though he had warned Kenny that he was clingy in his sleep.

Kenny had been watching Butters' face the moment he'd snapped his eyes open and was nearly startled when he yelped and shot himself away like he had, backing himself up to the siding of his bed. Kenny wanted to be relieved, but instead what he ended up feeling was a small amount of disappointment.

Kenny's mind, still drowsy, blotted out everything Butters' said. Instead of listening, Kenny gave a small smirk as he reached forward with his hand and tugged Butters back down to him. He pulled the startled bond tight to him in a playful manner, but he couldn't deny that he was also being a little serious in his action. He mentally thanked whatever superior being that for once he woke up without morning wood.

"Don't worry, I was comfy." Kenny said to him, burying his face into the other's hair. He was trying to keep a playful air, but he knew it was really because he wanted to. The truth was that he'd enjoyed being that close to Butters, though he didn't think he'd be admitting that out loud. "We should just sleep until noon." He grunted, his voice still sounding thick with sleep.

Butters managed to stop himself from squeaking when he was tugged back over. He could feel his heart racing in his chest, so much so that he wondered how Kenny couldn't feel it. Despite his moment of shock and embarrassment, Butters found himself relaxing when his friend buried his face in his hair. As awkward as this situation was, it also felt nice. Maybe a little too nice. "Oh….o-okay." Butters gave in. He might as well enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Kenny was glad when Butters gave in, snuggling closer to him and lazing comfortably. He didn't actually think that he could fall back asleep, but he was certainly content to lay still with the other and relax until he felt he wanted to get up.

"Kenny?"

The blonde's eyes opened as he heard his name being called. A feeling of dread and irritation instantly came over him. God… his mother had to ruin this, didn't she? A low groan came out from Kenny, dismayed by his mother's call. "…So much for laying down…" He grumbled to himself.

~:

Kenny was walking around town with Butters tailing just behind him, glancing up at all of the tall buildings that that frosted over with last night's frost. ..It was strange to the orange-wearing blond because he hadn't felt cold last night, though he supposed he had Butters to thank for that.

"So, was there anything you wanted to do?" Butters asked out of curiosity. He was currently walking around town with Kenny. Just getting to hang out with his friend was enough for him, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go the movie place he'd suggested earlier or not. He had offered again this morning, but he had yet to hear an answer. Butters had just been dragged out of Kenny's home before he could even realize what they were doing.

Glancing back towards Butters, Kenny noticed that he was only wearing a long sleeved shirt. It dawned on him that maybe he shouldn't have pulled Butters out his door so quickly. Even though he had only been trying to drag him out before his father woke up, he realized that he probably should have had more sense than that.

Butters' cheeks looked pink from the cold outside, two bright blue eyes peeking out and around at the chilly world just above them. Even though Kenny was positive that the blond was cold, he could see the barest hints of a smile on Butters face. Guilt crashed over Butters like a wave.

"…Some place warm." Kenny suggested, turning back around and scanning the buildings. He hadn't been thinking about going in to any of them, but if Butters was cold then he'd have to reconsider. "…Did you still want to go to the theatre? I could probably sneak us in or something."

Butters looked up, a bit surprised. "S-Sure, but you don't have to sneak us in. I've got a gift card that I n-need to use before it expires." Butters said, smiling slightly despite the chill in the air. Goodness, he couldn't understand his old habit of hardly wearing a coat in this weather anymore. It was freezing. If Kenny wanted to get out of the cold, then Butters was completely for it. He just didn't want to complain about the fact that he was getting cold. His parents always told him that it wasn't nice to complain.

Kenny was taken off guard when Butters offered to simply pay for them to get in with his gift card. He wasn't used to people offering him anything. The other members in their group usually ditched him if he couldn't afford to get in places. That was why he had become so accustomed to sneaking into places; so he could hang out with them more often. Anything beat home.

Kenny stopped walking and turned to look at Butters, looking both surprised and yet complimented. "Well… is there anyone else you'd rather take? You don't have to use your gift card on me… we can grab whoever you want and I could easily meet you inside." He offered.

"I'd actually prefer to take you. The only other person I could take would be Eric, and I'd rather not…" Butters said, feeling a little bad for talking about Eric. It wasn't that Butters had anything against him, it was just that Eric was overly rude the last time Butters had invited him and he didn't want to go through that again. "So let's go." Butters smiled, his breath misting lightly in front of his face.

As they headed towards the theatre, Butters couldn't help the growing unease inside of him. He may be fine with taking Kenny with him, but what if his friend wasn't okay with going with Butters? Kenny had tried and offered to sneak in so Butters could take someone else, but what if he was only being polite? Maybe he'd rather sneak in than go in with Butters. He couldn't blame him if that was the case. What if his theory was right? He'd be twisting Kenny's arm into going with him. Oh god, he needed to stop all of this worrying before he blurted out something stupid and embarrassing.

Kenny was surprised when Butters had told him that he would much rather take him than someone else, though he completely understood why when he said that the only other person he'd consider was Cartmen. Kenny wouldn't want to take that smug ass hole either.

Murmuring a quick 'thank you' was all Kenny would do before they began shuffling their cold feet towards the theater down town. He was grateful for it, since he hadn't gone in such a long while. He was sure it would be a lot of fun, especially with Butters.

The poorer of the two turned to look at the other, only to notice that there was something off. Whereas Kenny was excited, Butters seemed to be feeling anxious, his pale eyebrows turned up just slightly at their fronts. Absently, Kenny wondered if the blond was aware how readable he could be at times.

"Nervous?" Kenny asked, a smirk slowly forming over his lips as an idea came to mind. Once Butters turned to look at him, Kenny faced forward. They were nearly at the theatre now, it was only about fifty yards away. "It's alright. Dates are fun."

Butters couldn't help the blush that bloomed across his face at Kenny's comment. He wanted to playfully smack his arm for saying something like that, but he didn't want to unclasp his hands and make them even colder. Kenny's joking comment did make him feel somewhat better though.

When they reached the entrance to the theatre, Butters looked up at the movie sign to see what was playing. When he didn't see anything that he was dying to watch he turned to Kenny. "Anything you wanna see?" He asked with a smile.

Kenny gave a cursory glance over all of the different movie advertisements, noting that most of the movies were either childish or centered on romance. Kenny realized that they must have come in on a 'chick' day. The teen instantly started analyzing the lead female's chest in each of the movie posters. If he could find one good thing in movies like that, it was the cleavage.

"She has nice tits." Kenny blurted out loud, his mouth running away on him. Sometimes he really wished he could have a filter so he could check himself around Butters, his lewd mouth must really seem unbecoming.

Attempting to recover, Kenny turned away and gave a nervous cough. "I don't know though, they all look… interesting. Most people on dates go to see a comedy or something. We could pick one of those…?"

"…Comedy would be okay." Butters said as he tried to recall if any of the movies were comedic. As he looked at the posters, he eventually came across the one Kenny had commented on. She certainly did have a nice figure, and he could agree that she had a nice chest. It looked like it might have some comedic parts too. Maybe they should just watch that one, Kenny would probably enjoy it.

"Did you want to see that one?" Butters asked while he indicated the poster. "If I'm rememberin' correctly, I think it's a romantic comedy." Butters brain could only recall tid bits of old commercial promotions he had seen while watching television, but he was sure he was correct.

Kenny was surprised when Butters suggested, or more indicated, the same movie that Kenny had. He smiled. "…Sure, if you don't mind. It seems okay." He lied. In all honesty, Kenny couldn't care less about what movie they watched. It was something new that he could do, and doing it with Butters was a plus. He wasn't exactly sure why, but Kenny wouldn't want to be here watching a chick flick with anyone else…though he had a feeling that was because anyone else would turn it into a joke.

Butters didn't Care much about the movie choice, but he eagerly bought the tickets and made his way inside. A happy sigh slid past his lips once the heat in the theatre enveloped him. He almost closed his eyes for a moment as his body absorbed the heat like a reptile after a cold night. He turned to look at Kenny with a happy smile. " We've got time, do you want anything?" He gestured to the concession stand. "I've got to use up what's left on the card. It expires soon."

Kenny smiled feeling touched by Butters' offer. It was a nice thought, but it was a gift card intended for Butters and he should really be using it on himself. "Don't worry about it. You go ahead and get yourself something. I can reserve a couple of seats for us." He offered with a small grin. Before Butters could object, Kenny turned and walked towards the theatre room their movie would be showing in.

Butters watched Kenny walk away before a small smirk formed on his face Even if Kenny said that he didn't want anything, he was going to get him something anyway. He decided on some pretty common snacks before he made his way into the viewing room.

Once inside he looked around until he spotted Kenny. He made his way over and plopped down next to his blond friend. "Sorry, but I got you something anyway." Butters beamed as he set down what he got on the arm rest nestled between their seats. "So please pick somethin'."

Kenny had looked up when he heard Butters approaching him, smiling for only a short moment until he saw that the other had his arms of full of different theatre snack and candy. There were only a few items, but it was still more than Butters would probably eat alone. The blond teenager couldn't keep himself from frowning.

"You really didn't have to get me anything. I would have been fine." Kenny said quietly. It really was very nice of him, but Kenny couldn't help but to feel bad. After he shrugged off his coat, he turned to look at the boxes of candy he'd picked before he took out a box of Milk Duds for himself. "…Thank you very much." He smiled softly. "I owe you sometime."

"You don't owe me anything." Butters replied as he tried to get comfortable in his seat. If anything, he felt as though he owed Kenny since Butters had made this whole visit awkward. Still, awkward or no, the blond was having fun and he could only hope that Kenny was as well.

The room they were in was almost completely empty, which was a good and bad thing all at the same time. It meant that no one important would see them watching a chick flick, but it was also likely that the movie wasn't any good.

Once all of the previews finally ended the lights in the desolate theatre dimmed, making Kenny's view of Butters hard to see. He supposed he should be watching the movie feature anyway, even though it was a chick flick. He didn't want to waste Butters time and gift card by not watching it, he'd been nice enough to take him.

With a light sigh Kenny reclined comfortably into the seat, doing his best to pay attention to the long intro with that cheesy happy music most romantic comedies had. He could instantly tell that this was going to unfold in the typical manner that most did, and tried to amuse himself by guessing the events before they happened. He had been on other dates with girls who enjoyed these kinds of movies, so he was at least a little knowledgeable of them.

It didn't take Kenny long to find his mind wandering on him. He found himself staring at the screen and trying to imagine back to yesterday night, back to all of the emotions and strange thoughts that had come over him. It had been so strange… he'd never felt anything for another boy before. Sure, he could find them cute, but he'd never lusted after any of them before, let alone to make such a strong move on one…and yet it had happened just yesterday.

Thinking back on it, Kenny almost felt disappointed. Kenny had really wanted to at least feel how soft Butters' skin was. He looked like his skin was a lot smoother than most girls' he had seen. In fact, Butters was a hell of a lot different from anyone he'd ever seen before.

Kenny turned his head a little to sneak a glance at the other teenager. Even in this dark theatre he could see his soft expression. He could see his light hair that fell down in pretty little wisps about his gentle shaped face and his light blue eyes, but that wasn't what was most impressing. For the first time, Kenny was able to see past the exterior of someone and see what a beautiful, thoughtful person Butters was. Kenny knew that he must have flaws, but that didn't put him off. If anything it made Kenny want to find them.

Ah, he was staring again. Kenny sure was developing a problem with that. Turning his head away from the other, Kenny returned his gaze to the screen. The women was currently changing which made the male smirk to himself. Maybe this movie wasn't so bad after all.

So far, the movie wasn't as bad as Butters had been assuming it would be. Sure, it was your typical romantic comedy, but the actors weren't too terrible. Still, the film didn't hold his attention for too long. While the girls on the screen chatted amongst themselves, Butters let his mind wander. He thought about his school work and the colleges he would be applying to soon. He also thought about his family, wondering if he would get into trouble when he got home.

Butters' mind was a whirlwind of different thoughts at the moment, but the one that weighed the most on him was all about Kenny. This weekend had been fun so far, and the blond found himself wondering if maybe he and Kenny would be better friends after it was over. All and all, that was what Butters really wanted.

The blond was so used to settling for something less that he hardly noticed when he was doing it. Butters would have loved to have something more than just a friendship with Kenny, but he was still okay with just remaining friends. Was there something wrong with thinking that? A little part of him must have thought so since it was like a small voice kept telling him not to give up. Butters would have liked to listen to it, but so far it had never given him good advice.

As the women were putting their clothes on for the new day, Kenny let his attention slip back to Butters. Maybe he could figure out this whole mess later… with Stan or maybe even Kyle. He doubted that they'd want to listen, but maybe if he persisted they would. Any option was better than going to Cartmen… so until Monday, maybe he'd let himself do what he wanted and see where it went.

Secretly, Kenny snuck his hand over to Butter's seat. He waited so he could make sure the other wasn't paying attention before he just touched the top of his cool hand with his warm one. Kenny was playing it off as though he'd just rested his arm on the rest provided with the seats and accidently touched his hand, though normally he wouldn't have minded being forward about it. The only reason why Kenny wasn't was because he didn't want to scare Butters.

Butters was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt a light touch on his hand. He almost reacted by quickly pulling his hand away, but he reacted calmly for once and kept still. He wanted to look over to see if it was Kenny, but he already knew it was. Butters was afraid that if he looked then it would make Kenny take his hand away.

A soft smile and blush formed on his face before he could stop it. It was moments like this that fueled Butters' positive thinking and gave him hope that he didn't need. At the moment though, he couldn't care less about all that. He was enjoying this way too much to let his negativity get in the way.

Kenny found a small smile creeping across his lips when he found that the other hadn't moved his hand away. It made him happy for some reason he couldn't quite explain. All he knew was that he was so distracted by just the slight touch of their hands that Kenny could scarcely pay attention to the movie in front of them at all.

Kenny also couldn't help but to feel a small amount of triumph, too. He had known Butters' hands would be this soft, but he hadn't expected them to be a little smaller than his own. Butters was almost an inch taller than him, so he'd expected his hands to be a bit bigger… though Kenny didn't mind at all. He decided that he would leave his hand there until the end of the movie, rubbing his thumb just slightly over the top of Butters hand.

Butters' blush deepened when he felt Kenny's thumb move gently over the top of his hand. He was happy still, but also confused. He didn't want to think about things too much and come to the wrong conclusion, but he couldn't help it. Kenny's actions weren't just friendly, and Butters was sure he didn't do this with Stan or Kyle, so why was he doing this with him? It didn't make an ounce of sense to him.

Butters had to bite back to urge to ask Kenny why he was doing this. Even though he wanted to know, he had a feeling that it was better that he remain in the dark about it. The blond made himself relax before he dared a quick glance over in Kenny's direction. A deep blush quickly exploded across his face when he ended up catching Kenny looking at him. What was really bad about it was that they had both made eye contact. Butters quickly looked forward again as he tried to will his flush away along with the embarrassment.

Kenny had felt the skin on Butters' hand twitch when he had ghosted his thumb over the top. He couldn't help but to wonder if even a light motion such as that had been too forward for the other, but he felt relieved when Butters didn't move his hand away. Kenny felt himself smile just slightly before sliding his eyes over to look at Butters, shocked to find him doing to the same.

Butters must have noticed too, because Kenny watched his eyes round and a dark blush sweep over the tops of his cheeks before turning back to the movie screen. Kenny kept his gaze on him though, watching Butters' face and feeling the other's heart speed up by the pulse in his hand. It was almost too cute for words, but Kenny didn't smile. Instead, he found himself staring at Butters with an intense look, his eyes searching for something in his actions.

"Do you like me?" The question slipped past Kenny's lips before he could even realize he was thinking it. The teenager swallowed. …What on earth was he doing? He couldn't just ask him that. Kenny looked hastily back towards the movie. "Never mind." He said in an awkward and embarrassed manner. Stupid!

Butters tried to regulate his breathing so he didn't end up panicking. He hadn't been expecting words like those to come from Kenny's mouth. He instantly felt horribly stupid for not having moved his hand. He should have known that it would make his friend wonder why he had stayed still. The blond felt unsure and embarrassed. He had no idea how Kenny was going to react.

The blond focused on the move screen as he tried to distract himself. The film was almost over at this point and once it was through he was going to have to walk back with Kenny. Butters could only imagine how awkward that was going to be. Kenny was probably weirded out, especially because Butters hadn't answered him.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Kenny could feel his embarrassment smothering him. He couldn't believe that he'd just blurted that out. He wanted to know the answer, but this wasn't the appropriate time or place for it… not to mention he'd probably just freaked his friend out. Butters' silence warded that for him. …What on earth had been going through his head? Had he really expected an answer? It wouldn't have solved his confusion any. Stupid.

Kenny was relieved when the movie finally made it to the credits. He wasted no time in standing up with Butters and messing with putting on his outer layer. He'd just made this entire situation very awkward for the both of them, and no matter how hard Kenny wished the question could be taken back; the truth was that it wasn't going to happen. He'd have to think of something to remedy this…without making it worse.

As the two teenagers exited the movie, he wasn't surprised by both of their silence. Of course they were going to be quiet. Kenny would have felt bad, but right now he was using the silence to think everything through. He'd asked Butters if he liked him, but the place and time were bad. For that reason, Kenny had abruptly cut the question, which was why they were no in this awkward silence. Maybe, just maybe if Kenny could get an answer out of Butters the question could have closure, and they could talk it over. It was a long shot if he thought it could help fix their situation, but it was all Kenny could think of. That, and he still wanted to know the answer personally.

With that intention strictly on Kenny's mind, he waited until they were well on their way back to his hovel of a home. The entire walk so far had been silent, but Kenny was sure to break it. As soon as they passed by the wooded area that was right by his house he stopped walked and turned to face Butters. Kenny looked serious as he tried his best to piece together something to say.

"Butters, hold on a moment." He stalled, his mind racing to think of exactly how to bring this topic back up. Kenny had led Butters off to the side of the woodland.

"…About the movie theatre and the question I asked you, I'm sorry." Kenny stuffed his hands far into his pockets as he looked to the side. Kenny wasn't used to being the one nervous in these situations. It was strange, but he was having troubles looking at Butters in the face. He was unsure of how he'd react, which was a whole new concept for him. "…I didn't mean anything weird by it. It's just, it's been on my mind for… a little while." Kenny's face fell into a frustrated look as he blushed. Why was he being so unconfident?

Kenny glanced over at Butters, willing his confidence back to him as he looked directly into Butters' eyes. His gaze was serious and still a little unsure, but Kenny wasn't faltering over it anymore. "..I'm not sure why, it's been different, but I really want to know. I've never liked a guy before, so I'm actually in new water and I'm uncertain of it so I need to know." Kenny took in a breath to steady himself. "Do you like me?"

The whole walk back had been just as awkward as Butters had feared it would be. Normally, he was pretty decent at fixing awkward situations, but this time he was at a complete and total loss. The only thing he could think of to do was to offer to go home since he had ruined the fun that they had been having. No one liked a guest that only ever made things awkward. It would have been better for the both of them if he just turned down the offer to hang out and head home.

Butters had been about to offer to leave when Kenny spoke up and pulled him off to the side. He was expecting to hear his friend beat him to the punch and send him home first, but he was shocked to hear the topic brought up again. Did he really want to know that badly? Butters didn't even have time to ask before Kenny answered the question himself.

The words were so shocking that Butters wasn't sure if he had heard Kenny correctly even though he knew that he had. Was Kenny insinuating that he liked him? No, surely not.. but he was definitely saying that he was interested, even if only a little bit. Hearing that statement from him made Butters feel a lot better. Even if it was only a small chance, it gave him hope. Kenny had been the one to come forward first, so maybe he could tell him how he felt.

If Kenny wasn't interested in the end then they could both laugh it off, right? That was how Butters was going to view it, anyway. For the first time Butters felt like he could finally admit how he felt. He could still be judged for it, but he doubted that Kenny would hate him now.

Butters looked at Kenny for a long moment before he finally responded. "I-If you really must k-know then… yes, yes I-I do." Butters said a little awkwardly.

Butters liked him… that had been the answer to the question Kenny had needed to know. He liked him…Kenny wasn't sure how to respond back, but he felt happy. He hadn't been imagining things, and he wasn't the only one feeling this way. Kenny could feel a small smile come over his face, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of him.

"…I know it's different, but I don't care." Kenny was shrugging his coat off of his shoulders again. The teenager's usual confidence was building back, and Kenny felt comfortable with Butters again. Kenny wrapped his coat around Butters' shoulders, leaving his arm across his back. It would keep him warmer since it was still cold. Kenny flashed Butters a charming smile.

"I like you too."

Butters smiled as Kenny wrapped an arm around him. He instantly felt a lot warmer, but it wasn't just from the coat and the arm over his shoulders. Kenny liked him. He actually said he liked him and it felt better than he had thought it would. Butters actually had a chance now, even if he was still too shy to take it. His smile turned into a small grin as he chuckled just softly. Not even Eric could ruin his good mood right now.

"It feels a lot better gettin' that out." Butters admitted with a soft blush. He was overly happy now that he didn't have to worry about how Kenny was going to react. He wished that he didn't have to deal with Cartmen anymore as well, but the bulky teenager could still tell his parents; and they couldn't know.

"I know the feeling." Kenny grinned, gently leading the other towards his house again. Kenny felt a lot better himself now that he'd told him. Kenny didn't feel so worried about it now, even though he still thought that it Butters saw his lewd nature he'd lose interest. So far, this weekend had been very different, but Kenny was glad it had happened. This was a new experience, and it was one he was enjoying. It was strange to think, but maybe he should be thanking Cartmen for goading him into inviting Butters over.

As they neared Kenny's home, the male removed his arm from around Butters' shoulders. If it wasn't so cold out, Butters would have wished that the walk had taken longer. Even though he was happy to see the McCormick residence, he would miss Kenny having his arm around him.

Kenny walked the blond teenager up the door, stomping on the ground first to shake off any snow that had clung onto his shoes. Although he wished they could have stayed out later, he was satisfied in knowing that they'd killed a few good hours. Now he could only hope that his mother was out of her weird stage so he could go back to the sanctuary that was his room with Butters.

He opened the door for Butters first, letting him walk in before he followed after him. The inside of his house was chilly, but it was at least a little warmer than outside. Kenny shivered from the cold as he began to take off his shoes. They were going to go back to his room again, though Kenny honestly wasn't sure what they were going to do once they got there. They had issues finding something to do last night.

"Kenny?"

Kenny's thoughts were interrupted by the voice that called him, his eyes widening as his heart skipped a beat. Instantly, his blue eyes snapped to look at the nearest clock with a look of desperation on his face. What on earth was **_he_** doing home? He was usually at work or at the bar and bookie. Why the Hell was he home now of all times?

Kenny's name was called again, but this time the tone had dropped with irritation. Kenny ignored it and turned to face Butters, trying not to seem as surprised and anxious as he felt. …It didn't matter _why_ his father was home, right now Kenny needed to make sure Butters' stayed out of this. Kenny didn't want him to see his father make an ass of himself, who knew how it'd turn out. If it went badly then he definitely didn't want Butters there.

"Kenny, get your ass in here!" He was beginning to sound more and more agitated. Kenny tried to keep from giving out a growl. It had to be today of all days. He never had friends over, he had to pick the one weekend when he had Butters here.

Kenny gave Butters a half-hearted smile. He was well aware it was fake, but he wanted to at least try and seem normal. "I'll meet you in my room, alright? You can just throw my coat on the bed." He said, ushering him forward. "I'll see what my Dad wants and then be right back."

Butters looked confused for a moment before he nodded. He didn't want to keep Kenny from seeing what his dad wanted. He didn't like the idea of leaving him alone though. There had been something about his face and expression that had seemed very off. He headed towards Kenny's room though like he'd been told. His father sounded angry, so Butters only hoped that Kenny wasn't in trouble.

Kenny waited until Butters was gone from sight before he turned to look at the area his father was calling him from. It probably didn't do him any good to keep him waiting, but Kenny couldn't help but to shuffle his feet. He was hoping that this wasn't going to be serious, but he already knew that it wasn't good. These confrontations never ended well.

Before the man could call for him again, Kenny slid into the living room. His father was lounging in the recliner in front of the television, a beer from the fridge in one hand and the remote in the other. Kenny scowled to himself. Of course, he decides to stay home but can't do it sober. His father turned his head to look at Kenny when he came in, looking him up and down.

"Took you long enough." The man grumbled, taking a drink of his beer. Kenny stayed his distance from him by waiting in the door frame. When his lips parted form the tin can he set it on the table next to the chair with a sigh. Kenny's eyes were glued to the motions from his hand.

"Get in here and park a seat for yourself." His father sounded very irritated. Kenny was tempted to ignore him, but he had a feeling that right now it wouldn't be a wise idea. He could tell that his father wasn't drunk yet, but he was definitely working on it. The slur in his voice told him that.

"Where's Mom?" Kenny asked first. Usually, if his father was drunk and wanted a 'talk' with Kenny, she was there to break up anything that may get too out of hand. Kenny could clearly see that she was missing from the room, and it made him nervous.

His father waited to answer him. The man held up the remote and began to turn down the volume to the television. Kenny's nerves were beginning to jump under his skin. Over all, this was giving him a bad vibe. "I thought we could have a man chat." Was the man's drunken reply.

A man chat? That definitely didn't sound good. His father was never interested in 'talking' before. He was probably sick of his mother interfering with their 'talks' and sent her out to do something. The first thing Kenny imagined was him giving her beer and grocery money. Kenny stiffened in preparation where he stood.

"I'm not interested." Kenny retorted bluntly. His father reared his head at him to shoot a scowl his way. "It doesn't matter if you're interested or not. Yer gonna listen!" He snapped. Kenny returned the same scowl when his father rose to stand.

"You're a real problem, you know that? What with yer stealin' and…and lyin'. …And now I hear your grades are nearly failing!" The man ranted at him. "I'd beat ya into shape if I thought it'd help, but it doesn't look like it will. So I've got a new plan." His father took a pause in his speech, looking at Kenny through hostile eyes. "If you continue to do this, I'm kicken' your sorry ass out an' you can live outside like the scum you are!"

Kenny had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. That was his threat? He was going to kick him out? That was all Kenny wanted, it wasn't a threat at all. He was always trying to find excuses to leave this horrible place anyway. "Do it then." Kenny challenged. "You might as well do it now. I'm not going to stop and I hate it here." Kenny said angrily.

Kenny's father retaliated with a look of disgust and hatred. "You ungrateful bastard!" He snapped, his voice bellowing into an angry howl. "Do you hav' any idea what your mother an' I do for you? If you hate it here so much, then maybe I should just make you stay!" He threatened. Kenny didn't even hesitate. "Be my guest! My life here is already Hell, there isn't much else you can do."

Kenny's father face twisted into a wry smirk, an angry pull of the lips that nearly bordered on a snarl. "Oh I won't just make your life Hell, I'll this house hold regret." He glowered. Kenny froze where he stood, a look of surprise coming across his face. "Maybe if everyone gets fed up because of you you'll wisen' up."

Kenny's mouth was hung open and dry. He couldn't be serious. His father was a crazy bastard, but he couldn't possibly mean that he was going to start taking out his frustration for Kenny on _everyone_. He already beat his mother on occasion and tortured Kenny… he couldn't seriously be threatening to add Kevin and Karen to the list. He wouldn't stand for it.

"You can't!" Kenny shouted at him, his fists clenched. "They aren't doing anything wrong! You can't!" His father's expression became smug, at last finding something that he could hold against Kenny.

"I will if you don't shape up fast." His father threw back at him. Kenny's jaw clenched in frustration, his eyes darkening with rage. It was all he could manage to remain still not shudder from his blood boiling underneath his skin.

"If you lay a finger on my sister-"

"What?" His father was advancing on him now, and for once Kenny was glad to see it. He stood up taller in an eager manner as his angry parent came upon him, his own fists ready. He wanted an excuse to attack his father right now. He was glad that his mother was out of the house right now and wouldn't stop them. For once, he wanted a fight. As soon as his father would throw the first punch, he'd eagerly return it with a few extra.

((We're breaking this chapter into two halves, it's just way too long as one whole one))


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